Nintendo takes credit for US industry growth

Nintendo has drawn scorn this morning by releasing a press release in which is appears to take credit for the year-on-year growth of the US videogames industry, despite month-on-month declines in console sales.

The news ironically comes at the same time that the NPD has released console sales figures for January, which show a 76 percent drop in console sales - which is a lot even if you take the post-Christmas slump into account. Wii and DS sales were shown to drop considerably in the results.

The Japanese console-maker seems almost cocky in its claims, which seem to say that it alone is buoying the console industry in America.

"While the videogame industry grew by USD 150 million (12 per cent) year-on-year, Nintendo's total sales grew by USD 300 million in January, offsetting declines on other platforms," said the new press release.

Nintendo not only boasts about the fact that more than 18 million consoles have been shipped worldwide - a figure which dwarfs other platforms easily - but also points to software sales. Half of the top ten videogames sold last year were Nintendo's first-party titles, such as Wii Fit and Super Mario Galaxy.

As Eurogamer points out though, Nintendo isn't totally unaffected by the credit crunch and has slyly slashed profit forecasts recently too.

Do you think Nintendo are keeping the market afloat, or has the success gone to Miyamoto's head? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.